


want me, want u

by fxrefliess



Category: Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Action, Angst, Drama, Fluff, Kai’s pov, M/M, One-Shot, Plasma, Sibling Fluff, Song fic, Suspense, and, basically everyone is gay, comments as well, dont worry abt jaya bc it ends as well as ud expect, kudos are appreciated tho, lol, mentioned jaya - Freeform, plasmashipping, post-prime empire, sibling smith fluff, slowburn, so ns12 spoilers, there is some, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fxrefliess/pseuds/fxrefliess
Summary: the ninja just escaped prime empire, thanks to the energetic lightning ninja. however, jay seems . . different, after the fight.and no one seems to notice.well, no one except kai.but that is only because kai is head over heels for the boy, and has finally decided to do something about it.// based off the song “crave you” by flight facilities ( altho i listened to mxmtoon’s cover on a loop for a month )
Relationships: Kai/Jay Walker, Nya/Jay (mentioned), Plasma - Relationship, Plasmashipping - Relationship, mentioned jaya
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	want me, want u

**Author's Note:**

> HI 
> 
> ik i haven’t updated anything else recently but that’s bc im dumb
> 
> ANYWAY, as mentioned above, this is a song fic & the lyrics r intertwined w/in the story in italics ( bc they follow along w it )
> 
> uhhh yeah... there’re spoilers for ns12 ( if u haven’t watched that yet ? )
> 
> but w/o further a duo, here ya go, enjoy

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

“and here come the ninja!”

claps exploded through the air. people cheered, eyes gazing like bullets at the six famous colorful and confident protectors. and while the publicity usually boosted his ego and gave kai proud butterflies, all the sudden noise soaked more into his growing headache. after all, he had just magically walked through a portal back into ninjago after being in a game for days—after  _ dying _ .

he felt his displeasure was well suited for the busied up situation.

_ They stare at me while I stare at you. _

hands reached out, past the planted police poles for safety, in a quick attempt to grab one of the ninja’s own gloved palms—the glisten in the civilians’ eyes made kai feel as if he touched one, they would scream in joy. and so that was what he did; held his hand out to the closest person and interlock fingers for a split second.

screams nearby erupted louder.

“oh my  _ god _ , I am never washing my hand again!”

oh fuck, well . . maybe that was a bad idea. the blonde girl kai touched stared with wide eyes; first at her hands as kai pulled back, and then at the fire ninja. her eyes were damp with what kai assumed to be joyful tears.

“I love you!”

_ Why can't I keep you safe as my own? _

“love you, too,” the brunet answered back on instinct, voice loud to be heard over the crowd. although his mask was up, he smiled underneath the material anyway, a bubble of his own joy loosely sparking at the sight that he had clearly made someone’s day. it really was that easy nowadays for some people, hm?

_ One moment I have you, the next you are gone. _

the red ninja gave a lazy salute to the still yelping girl before walking forward, eyes flickering in front of him at the five remaining members of his team. he thought it was best to allow lloyd to walk first this time, as kai covered the back; he was not feeling it as much as he normally did, using the excuse of  _ long day  _ to itch off any concern.

well, it truly wasn’t a complete lie. the ninja really did just endured a long puzzling fight; kai  _ died _ , for fucks sake . . who knew video games could be that truthful. and with all the ways to die out, it just had to be a lame car crash. the other reason—the more prominent reason, however, was something much different and more heartwarming, perhaps; it was time for kai to grow a pair and pop a question . . later, though, without the flashing cameras.

jay was walking just in front of the brunet.

_ Rehearsed steps on an empty stage. _

nervous laughter could be heard; and no, not because the noise was loud, but because it was the only sound kai voluntarily wanted to listen to any and all day. jay’s laugh emitted so much more joy than fighting and winning the tiresome battle. 

_ That boy's got my heart in a silver cage. _

the ginger’s blue gi was being tugged on by the crowd; jay forced to stand flush against the police barrier if he wanted to keep his clothes from potentially getting ripped off. his mask was already missing, probably being swiped this way and that through the crowd as if a prize possession. blue gloved hands wiggled in a lazy attempt to latch free, but to no avail. kai watched matching sharp ocean eyes peek at him in a silent call for help before the fire ninja finally snapped out of the dazing state and plunged forward to assist.

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

“hey!” yelled kai, loud but non-threatening, swatting hands to pull jay away. “let go of him!” if anyone should be tugging at the lightning ninja’s outfit, it should be kai himself. 

kai personally knew jay was strong as hell, so why the blue ninja was allowing the crowd to antsily díctate how he walked was beyond him. of course jay loved the attention—seeing the crinkle of his eye immediately let kai know the other boy was smiling. the sight put butterflies in his stomach each and every time. but even kai knew when enough was enough.

_ They stare at me while I crave you. _

fuck, jay had kai wrapped around his little finger and was too oblivious to even know. in fact, the mindlessly ached kai’s bones. oh, the thoughts he had that would probably never be given back as equally romantically. jay still seemed to be interested in the wrong sibling, even when nya has long moved on; talk about being obviously clingy. 

_ Crave you. _

standing untouched in the middle of the given railed off street, the brunet exhaled in relief that they were both freed. “you good?” kai asked, hands patting down jay’s side without second thought to dab away any remaining dust and fix the blue crinkles of the gi. he sheepishly noticed what he was doing and quickly pulled away, straightening his stance—he peered at the crowd, and then back to jay’s sparkling eyes; auburn hair a messy pile of curls atop his head.

_ I walked into the room dripping in gold. _

“I'm good.”

“good.”

kai was usually the one full of bad ideas, but this particular one seemed pretty fucking great in his mind. inhaling a breath, the fire ninja wrapped a hand gingerly around the blue material of jay’s gi. hand rested on his hip, kai pulled the boy closer as they started walking again.

_ Yeah, dripping in gold. _

“stay next to me,” vocalized kai protectively as they continued walking, attempting to catch up with the others. “we’re almost at the end; let’s hope  _ that  _ doesn’t happen again. you already lost your hood and ‘m sure sensi won't be happy.”

jay yelped in an assumed surprise, but did not shrug away the touch; in fact, kai felt the boy drape an arm around his shoulder in return. the addition movement weaved them closer; it made kai’s face burn brighter than his gi. thank god his own mask was still flipped up.

they were so close, it was mesmerizing. even the crowd grew lower—or maybe that was just the noise buzzing in kai’s mind at the lovely situation. however there was a drag against kai’s side, weight shifting back and forth as the pair gingerly walked together. 

_ I walked into the room dripping in gold. _

“wait?” kai blurted, feeling the unsteady weight. “jay, are you limping?”

“. . maybe.”

“holy sh—.”

“no, no—stop, i’m fine.” another nervous laugh. “there’s probably just a rock in my shoe or something.”

kai’s nose scrunched in disbelief, assuming those words were a lie. his gaze, however, was still drawn forward to hide suspicion and ignore any and all unwanted attention from the crowd. “why didn’t you take it out when we were still on the roof,  _ before _ we had to walk through the city’s streets like this?”

“because it  _ hur— _ I m-mean—pfft—.” yup, it was a lie, yet kai kept quiet to listen to the ginger’s stuttering excuse of a cover up. “. . because I—I didn’t wanna untuck my sock and hold everyone else up again.”

well, kai fell  _ hard _ for a fucking idiot.

_ Dripping in gold. _

“jay . .”

“don’t tell the others.”

kai’s voice was hushed, lips whispering into the shorter boy’s ear so he could hear over the loud crowd. goosebumps laced his own skin as he breathed. “tell me what happened—the  _ truth,  _ of what happened, and I won't; I'll wrap your ankle, or something helpful once we get back instead.”

“I—.” jay’s mouth opened with a sigh, words obviously tangled on his tongue. all kai could do was watch, head tilted to scan the smaller boy’s beautiful features. 

no, kai was not  _ that _ tall; definitely not as tall as cole. but the fire ninja still had a few inches above jay—not including his hair. still, he could gaze down at the lightning master forever; the dips of his smile, the spotty cheeks where his freckles delicacy laid, his jaw . . not to mention jay’s fucking lips. 

“I got my ass kicked before coming out of prime empire, kai. by unagami himself . . and his stupid drones.”

of fucking course. he blinked, snapping out of the day dreaming daze, attention drawing back to reality at jay’s negative words. maybe if kai would not have died so fucking soon, that would all be a different story.

_ A wave of heads did turn, or so I've been told. _

pushing away the deep guilt and bitter jealousy, kai chose to focus on the other boy’s health, internally going into makeshift doctor mode. he kept jay perched up against him, even while his stomach felt light with butterflies at the touch.

”is it just your ankle that hu—?” the fire ninja was cut off, bumping aimlessly into zane, as the little group reached the end of the police guarded walkway, located at the bottom of borg tower’s steps. 

kai knew what had happened to zane—everyone did; people were there to  _ witness _ it. but not what jay dealt with . .  _ not jay _ ; no one saw what happened in the game after dying, and people were too busy caught up in the real world to even care about the fictional end.

that was what it seemed like. 

but kai? . . kai cared—so much. and this was his chance to truly prove it.

the brunet stopped talking, gently letting go of jay after a moment’s hesitation to make sure the blue ninja could stand on his own. kai watched lloyd’s hands wave into the air, and then each ninja began to bow in front of the screaming crowd, as per usual. kai did so, a smile plastered on his face for the cameras under the mask—but he could not help it . . he could not help but watch jay’s bitter movements from the corner of his eye. 

_ Or so I've been told. _

police offices and some other important people kai could not care less about were droning on about  _ ‘—how our city will forever be, time and time again, in debt to you wonderful ninja . . thank you endlessly for saving this amazing city and—’.  _ but he did not care; it was always the same bullshit over and over again. 

however, what he did tone into was when someone yelled, a  _ ‘kiss me, kai!’ _ from the crowd, and said red ninja froze. the extra attention was not new, and yet standing in front of the people of ninjago, standing next to  _ jay _ , the three mere words made kai do a double take. it took him a moment to realize his face was still flushed—and so instead of flipping his mask off and giving into the crowd’s cheers, he felt himself recoil closer to the doors of borg’s tower, and just simply waved. 

turning to the side, at his teammates, kai eyed jay . . who wasted no time laughing with nya in conversation, obviously not caring about whatever important monologue was going on. the brunet told himself not to be jealous—for fuck’s sake, that was his  _ sister _ . a year ago, kai would not have given a shit if nya laughed at one of the lightning ninja’s stupid jokes, albeit a bit protective. 

and now? . . kai wanted to keep those puns all to himself.

_ My heart broke when I saw you kept your gaze controlled. _

kai frowned, turning away and back to the crowd—waving once more to meet the people’s demands. the boy was barely listening when lloyd whistled; a sign it was time to go.

they did not end up going very far. in fact, all the ninja did was turn and walk into the tower’s front doors. police ran forward, blocking the entrance to keep extra pedestrians from possibly slipping inside. 

the red ninja blew a lazy raspberry, wanting nothing more than to just head back to the flying ship he called home. the city was a frazzled mess covered in confused people from within prime empire , and holding unnecessary ninja meetings like this were always jotted down as kai’s least favorite activity . . even more so that it had been a long day—or however long he was stuck inside that god awful game. however, as usual, it appeared business came first to anyone’s personal needs.

important people entered inside moments later; a cameraman filed inside as well somehow, shoving a large microphone into each of the ninja’s now unmasked faces one by one. when the man reached kai, he shuffled back to step away from the spotlight for what felt as if the first time ever. his eyes were wide when the man started speaking. kai assumed they were questions, however the mumbled words came out in an incoherent rush. 

the fire ninja shook his head vigorously, hoping the newsman would take a hint. right now, the last thing he wanted to do was go through a timeline of what had just happened in prime empire. 

“excuse me!” pipped up lloyd, foot practically tapping against the ground impatiently. “can you please give us some space?”

much to kai’s approval, the cameraman reluctantly stepped back . . from him, at least; it only took a few more handful of messy seconds before the man was standing in front of the lightning ninja. and suddenly, kai wished he was still getting bombarded with slurred sentences. the overprotective side kicked in, knowing very well that jay was not in the mood to be asked emotional questions currently, too. 

and sure, the ninja were practically the city’s iconic protectors . . but behind the cloth masks were just kids with a temporarily brave face. so if kai thought his situation in prime empire was bad, he was only left to guess that jay’s was so much worse. the blue ninja just did not seem to be his normal, cheery self. it hurt—even knowing a simple sentence of jay’s ending trip: ‘ _ I got my ass kicked by unagami _ .’

_ Oh, I cannot solve. _

the fire elemental tried to turn and focus on the words coming out of lloyd’s mouth, no matter how boring they were. he attempted to remain professional and collected, but god damn—it was growing unbearable.

the paparazzi camera man’s voice was more hushed this time around as to lay low. it seemed he had only partly learned his lesson, for he still poked a microphone into jay’s face. kai told himself that if the filthy piece of technology even dared to touch one of the delicate freckles on jay, he would freak. it was as clear as day to say the blue ninja was uncomfortable—and again, if anyone should be delicacy touching each and every freckle on the blue ninja’s face . . it should be kai. 

if looks could kill, that damn camera man would be long gone . . or well, his back would because he was no longer facing kai; he was still trying to pry answers out of jay—and when the microphone tilted forward once more, kai felt his blood boil hotter while watching jay clumsily back up once more.

“what will happen to arcades all across ninjago now that video games can be deadly to real life?”

the audible question made the red ninja snap. and this time around, the others were distracted in an eagerly deep conversation with someone kai assumed was important, but barely recognized. he knew there was no way someone else could tell this ignorant man to bugger off . . so fuck it—time to take things into his own messy hands.

no means no, after all, doesn’t it?

“hey, can you take a hint?” spat the fire elemental. his feet softly tapped against the ground as he made his way over to a frightened jay and shocked paparazzi man. “we don’t wanna listen to your dumb questions, okay, man? so make like a tree and leave.”

someone said his name. someone else tapped calmly against his shoulder. but even as all eyes drew to him, kai was not paying attention to anyone else but jay, and this annoying camera holding prick. 

“can you answer it, though?” rephrased the obnoxious man towards the red ninja.

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

when the camera turned to the side to capture kai’s obviously pissed off features and the microphone dipped inches from his lips, instead of gently pushing the technology away to deny being filmed—his arm rose and, with his gloved fingers curled into a fist, kai punched the man right in the face. 

now, someone screamed. another person fiercely yelled kai’s name once more. yet he toned everything out except the bang of the paparazzi and his camera crashing easily to the ground with a satisfying pop.

“what the hell is your problem?”

“kai!”

“i’m okay, stop—let him go!”

kai registered much stronger hands attempting to pull him up and off the citizen. he felt the need to shrug off who he assumed was cole to continue beating the shit out of this man, when another pair of hands joined in. and it left the red ninja outnumbered, so he gave up against his better judgement—allowing an awkwardly tense silence to fill the room.

“i think we’ll . . uh, we’ll be going now.”

that was lloyd. kai only knew because the green gi was a few steps away, hands curled by his waist nervously.

“i’m fine,” huffed the fire elemental, shrugging as if it would allow him to be free. his eyebrows were still fiercely furrowed with pissed emotions, however one shared glance with a nervous jay allowed him to calm. so kai deeply inhaled. “lemme’go.”

_ They stare at me while I stare at you. _

turning to the side, kai was met with a dark and light gi; zane and cole, as predicted, were the two holding him back. their arms loosely began to let go, and the fire ninja rolled his shoulders—hands patting down his chest to weakly fix his own outfit as if nothing had happened.

no saying sorry this time.

his eyes were selfishly glued to the man slowly pushing himself up off the floor with nya’s help. squinting, the cameraman gingerly grabbed his electrical items, and rushed right back out the front door, doing his best to hide his assumed bloody face. nya offered to guide the man out with medical assistance, but he silently refused.

and against his better judgement, kai snickered as he watched—glad to at least dig a mark into the man’s memory. maybe that will teach him to let it go after being told no. 

kai did his best to ignore the assumed annoyed looks from his teammates as they left borg’s tower. he could tell now everyone was particularly on edge—including jay, who’s recoiled features almost made kai feel bad for what he did. the thought swirled within kai’s mind for a few moments longer than he would have like . . which isn’t saying much, considering he thought about the blue ninja often.

however, kai for one, was eager to get back home to the bounty.  _ damn _ , what he would do for a drink and some peace and quiet . . he would rather have to deal with the ignorant claims and exaggerated news about punching a man later rather than sooner.

skipping the usual greeting of return with wu and pixal at the front side of the bounty, the fire elemental made his way around—to head straight into the kitchen. he could briefly hear the echoing laughter and possible beginnings of stories being told from the others as he peered into the fridge. the fire elemental could only guess wu would scold him personally later in the day.

_ Why can't I keep you safe as my own? _

grabbing a water bottle from inside, kai sighed at the footsteps creeping up behind him. without even turning around, he blinked his eyes closed for a dwelling moment. “what now?” mumbled the red ninja, opening his eyes to crack the drink’s cap off and taking a long sip. 

“that was stupid.”

“i don’t care, sis,” kai echoed, finally closing the cool fridge’s air away and immediately slipping into the nearest kitchen table seat. “that prick had it coming.”

“he caught it on camera, yaknow,” mumbled nya, already moving to the sink to wash off her hands. the water ran for a moment, before she dried her hands off on her gi and sat down next to kai. her chin dropped into her still damp, ungloved hand, leaning comfortably forward—and the position reminded kai of what a school teacher would look like while informing a student’s parent of some bad deed. 

and yet kai was supposed to be the older sibling, right? . . man, he would be lost without nya.

**the brunet laughed it off. “good,” scoffed kai, pausing for another cold sip. the liquid swished around his mouth, partly assisting to cool his naturally warmer frame.**

“no, not good,” argued nya. her fingertips nervously drummed against the tabletop. “we’re supposed to be saving the city and its people, kai—not destroying them.”

he was able to pick up his sister’s habits. and although it hurt him to the core to see nya down like such, the boy had very little remorse for the cameraman, especially after repetitively denying being filmed and questioned. “maybe if he knew what no meant then—.”

“kai,” the water ninja’s voice harshly interrupted. 

“fine,” huffed kai, knowing very well while both siblings were undyingly stubborn, nya always ended up on top, correct. “i’ll make sure to send out a message; say i’m sorry or whatever.”

“thank you,” nya sighed, a soft smile soon making its way to her features at the little win. her eyes dawned down as kai took another sip, finishing off the water bottle’s containments. “also, i’d talk to jay if i were you. i tried to get a word out of him just before we left . . but he refused.”

“where is he?”

“his room, i think.” nya shrugged. “he ran off right as we landed; said he wanted to take a shower. ‘think something is bugging him.”

_ One moment I have you, the next you are gone. _

“what do you think it is?” asked the red ninja, curious. he was already thankfully informed that nya was the last ninja to be cubed off in prime empire—so surely if anyone knew something hintful towards jay’s off behavior, it should be her, right?

“not sure.”

well, damn. never mind, then.

“I mean, he had to go against unigami alone. that’s gotta be part of it, doesn’t it?” nya questioned, brainstorming out loud. “maybe he just, I dunno, needs a break, though. I know I do.”

“. . are you okay, nya?”

“yeah,” immediately pipped up said water ninja. “I’m alright. a little shaken up, but I’ll live.”

kai stood up after the given confirmation, tossing the plastic away in replace of two bags of chips. “i’ll go talk to him then,” he agreed, knowing he already promised he would help the blue ninja; help with his foot, and now probably help offer some emotional condolences or something, too. the thought escaped his mind while lost in the annoyed action.

his sister nodded, a visible wave of understandment on her face. her eyes watched kai as he moved, yet the girl did not stand up. and he noticed what appeared to be discomfort. 

“what?” kai mumbled, curious as to his sister’s suddenly hesitant manner. “what’s wrong?”

as if there were not already many things off today.

“for the record, kai,” began the raven-haired water ninja . . a grin making its way confidently to her lips, “you might wanna tell him how you feel before sensi gets a hold of you and kicks your ass for what you did today.”

_ Rehearsed steps on an empty stage. _

“what?” repeated the fire ninja, voice cracking in embarrassment. his usual cool, cocky demeanor tripping up at the true claim. “i’m not—.”

“it’s . . kinda obvious,” giggled his sister, finally standing up. 

“ . . it is?”

“yeah, bro—to me, at least,” confirmed nya. she dropped a hand against kai’s shoulder reassuringly, smiling brightly as if she had just cracked some difficult puzzle . . and then she winked. “don’t worry, though; your secret’s safe with me.”

the brunet cocked his head to the side, shrugging off his sibling’s touch off in a wave of confusion. “thanks . . but, uh, how exactly did you know?”

playfully shrugging, nya slipped her hands into the dark pockets of her gi. “like i said: obvious. but, apart from the constant stares and flirting—which, i might add, jay’s oblivious—i know you like the back of my hand, kai. and i know how you act when you’re head over heels for someone.”

“right.” the fire elemental clicked his tongue; partly annoyed by how correct nya was once again, but half relief she chose to stay quiet. kai’s lips brimmed into a thin line, debating his next move on how to approach jay when another thought popped into his head. “wait—isn’t he—?”

“oh!” blurted nya, cutting her brother off. a finger pointed to her chest accusingly. “nah, not anymore. he . . laid back for real once i told him i was into girls.”

“so between you two . . ?”

“just friends.”

kai nodded confidently. he did not mean to take those words to heart so much, but they were a huge relief to hear. “thanks, nya,” he finished, with a growing smile. 

“no prob, bro,” concluded the water ninja proudly. she offered a lazy salute before turning to the fridge herself, and grabbing a juice box. “now go get ‘em. I’m gonna go take a shower now, though . . so if you need me? don’t.”

_ That boy's got my heart in a silver cage.  _

“gotcha.”

returning the playful salute, kai turned and scurried out of the kitchen. his head popped out into the hallway first, swaying back and forth to make sure the coast was clear of anyone who would scold him before jogging over to the row of bedrooms. continuing his way to the wanted door, with obnoxious blue lightning bolt stickers placed atop it, kai knocked. 

“huh?!” voiced the given energetic ninja from inside. 

“you decent?” asked kai, his head up against the door as if it would help him listen. “it’s kai. i brought chips.”

“oh,” blurted jay once more. something from within the room crashed, and for a moment kai thought jay had fallen. “yeah; come in.”

the brunet opened the door, and practically just died at the revealed sight.

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

socks and pants already on, jay was standing in the center of his room—a plain blue and white striped t-shirt in the process of slipping over his head. the material laid on his shoulders, as the blue ninja did his best to wiggle his arms through. the gesture briefly reminded kai of a little child trying to change for the first time, but he quickly diminished those thoughts. for the given situation, jay had every damn reason to be lazy with his movements. 

“hey,” greeted the blue ninja with a sheepish smile once the shirt was fitted correctly. 

kai softly shut the door, holding the two snack bags of chips within his hand. “hi,” he began, trying his best to mentally wipe off the everlasting blush to smile back. 

jay reached for the damp towel on his bed as kai sat down on the meeting edge. he watched the lightning elemental do his best to towel dry his naturally curly brown hair; it . . was not going too well. kai decided on offering some help, but before he could even make up his mind—jay tossed the towel back on the center of his bed in a clear sign he had given up. 

_ fuck _ —it actually took concentration for kai to look away from the other boy. jay’s hair was still very damp, as little water droplets splashed off the brown tips and onto his shoulders. each and every little freckle that dotted his face looked even more prominent than ever, without any dirty marks or beads of sweat covering the blue ninja’s face. and parts of the cottoned material clung to his frame, allowing the moisture at which jay neglected to wipe off to work its magic. 

_ They stare at me while I crave you. _

jay seemed to bite the inside of his mouth for a moment, clearly thinking way too hard about what to say next—so kai spoke for him, gesturing to the pair of bags in his hands. 

“which flavor do you want?”

the tiny remains of a smile were immediately visible on jay’s face. “what do you have?” asked him, quirking a brow in question. 

kai knew very well how the other boy loved snacks and disoriented junk food. so of course the ninja chips would be a tiny peace offering; an apology, so to speak, about what kai made rain down earlier . . and to try and gingerly make up for the whole prime empire bullshit. 

“regular—and uh, and sour cream & onion,” answered the red ninja, eyes peeling away from the bag’s readable packaging to glance back at jay.

“can I have the sour cream & onion?”

kai answered by handing the other boy the little green bag. the brunet was soon to return that beautiful smile, teeth peeking through happily. leave it to jay to quickly cheer up the mood without even trying; it was as simple as seeing the blue ninja, or hearing his up-beat laughter that sparked butterflies in kai’s stomach and a burning blush on his face. 

he cleared his throat, eyes dawning down to avoid any possible embarrassment. “so . .” began kai, slipping his gloves off so his fingers could easily rip open the regular bag of chips. he paused to take one out and eat it. “how are you?”

wow. nice going! good conversation starter.

“shouldn’t I be asking you that? . . you died.”

apparently it actually was worth kai’s wild, because the blue ninja offered just a quick response. the fire elemental ate another chip, eyes nonchalantly scanning around the quite messy room as he chewed before answering. 

“you had to watch us die,” kai spoke up, knowing very well this conversation was going to inevitably get gloomy. “and with the cameraman, jay, he was—.”

_ It's true I crave you. _

“I’m fine.” jay shrugged off the question before it even left the red ninja’s mouth. and that made kai worry. “don’t worry about it.”

in response, he licked his lips nervously. kai knew it was better not to continuously question the same problem, and let jay open up on his own. besides, there was more than one issue going on currently that bubbled within the fire ninja’s head; might as well ask about those, too, huh?

kai popped another chip within his mouth. he chewed quickly, as to avoid any possible embarrassment. “how’s your foot?” asked the brunet, eyes sneaking a glance at jay before dawning down at the supposed injury. 

“it’s okay,” murmured the ginger. kai could tell the other boy was wiggling his toes underneath his sock. “I managed to shower, so . . it could be worse. I’ll just try to stay off it for today.”

“I don’t need to wrap it or something, do I?” 

“I don’t think so,” jay commented, twisting so that he was sitting criss cross atop the bed; legs tucked under one another, the bag of chips sitting within his lap.

kai laughed. and the sparked up humor earned a questionable look from the lightning elemental. “okay, good,” mused the boy still in his red gi. “your feet probably smell.”

“I—.” jay blurted, clearly not amused with the joke, yet still remaining just as playful. “I just took a shower!”

_ Crave you. _

kai only continued to laugh. he often found it funny how easy jay was to rile up and earn a reaction out of. he mimicked jay’s position atop the blue bed, pulling his own legs to sit upon.

“I know,” hummed kai, smiling brightly in realization that the mood was quickly once again lifted. “but did you wash your feet, that’s the question.”

“of course I did.” jay huffed, but kai could see the boy’s own smile against his lips, proving that the both of them were giddily messing around. “you can smell if you want.”

“no thanks,” snorted kai, holding his hand out as if to deny the offer. 

when jay shifted, to lean comfortably back against the head of his bed, kai thought the blue ninja was going to stick his feet within his face anyway. however, all jay did was lay down, head propped up against the bed’s stack of pillows and stuffed animals.

god, jay always so effortlessly looked amazing.

kai hesitantated on copying the other boy’s position this time around, for the red ninja was still indeed wearing his gi. so he decided to just shift; allowing himself to sit on the bed still, without touching the pillows or putting his feet on the blankets. the good news was, kai was closer to jay and his pink lips than before.

the laughter had just dialed down when jay squeaked out an, “ew, dude.”

“what?” spiked up kai, watching the other boy’s recoiled reaction. 

“you’re gross, laying on my bed in your gross gi.”

“I am not laying down!” kai denied, hands out as if to gesture to the proper way he was sitting. 

jay’s nose crinkled, popping a handful of chips into his mouth messily. “you should take a shower, too,” offered the boy. 

and the brunet only shook his head. “later—nya said she’s going in now, and I wanted to talk to you first.”

_ It's true I crave you. _

“you did?”

kai bit his lip, worried for a moment that he had accidentally spilled his inner emotions. but apparently, not, so he let out a breath in relief. “yeah,” mumbled the fire elemental. “to make sure you’re still a’right.”

“I am now,” jay mused; kai felt a playful push, and turned to see jay’s elbow gingerly poking at the brunet’s side.

kai had to pause and inhale, because holy fucking shit.

“wait?”

the moment of pure bliss was unfortunately cut short, and kai forced himself to dial back down onto planet earth; cloud nine would have to wait, but he was inching closer to his breaking point of just telling jay the truth. 

“you talked to nya already?”

this time around, the brunet nodded again, confident that the other boy was no longer pegging for his sister.. “she had to scold me, y’know.”

“for what?” jay asked.

god damn, he surely was oblivious—just as nya had mentioned; pinning the girl correct, again . . again.

_ Crave you. _

the red ninja could not help but laugh, turning to give jay a deadpanned look. kai let the second of gingerly fun suspense dial out as he ate a handful of chips, finishing off the bag, before answering. “for punching a guy in the face, jay,” kai answered, bubbles of laughter still visible within his voice. “and I’m sure I’ll hear about it from wu, too.”

“oh,” blurted the energetic ninja. “right. ah ha . . was the—is the guy alright?”

“I think so?” questioned kai, head tilted to the side as if he was actually debating the words. “you saw; he left really quickly.”

“you probably broke his nose or something.”

there was a moment of silence that hung within the air. kai did not feel the need to immediately respond, once he realized how unusually soft-spoken jay’s words were. it set the fire elemental on edge, he had to do a double take.

“he had it coming,” mumbled said red ninja. “I could see how uncomfortable you were. and . . cuz you wouldn’t tell him to go away, then I sure did.”

“am I supposed to say thanks?”

he managed to snort a laugh. “well no—it’s not needed, but it would be appreciated anyway.”

“thanks, kai.”

kai blew a raspberry, telling himself to calm down; but his name . . his name sounded so pretty coming out of jay’s lips. it was hard to try and stay focused enough so his own cheeks were not a bright similar shade of his gi, and kai was sure jay had noticed by now. 

so he sucked it up, turned to the side and blinked—forcing himself not to stare at jay’s own lips as he offered the boy a sincere smile. 

“no prob,” added the brunet, clicking his tongue as if it would help him.

_ Let's just stop and think. _

god dammit; what happened to that cockily confident ninja from earlier? . . to that hyped up, and proud fighter? how the hell did jay have such an effect on kai like this—when the fire elemental could flirt with anyone else just fine, but seemed to trip over his own words endlessly with jay?

he thought back to what nya said:  _ ‘I know how you act when you’re head over heels for someone.’ _

jay cleared his throat; that was when kai dawned back down to earth once more and realized both of their bags of chips were empty. the lightning master held his hand out, and kai obligated—handing the ginger haired boy the plastic trash wordlessly. 

their fingers touched.

their fingers . . actually touched.

kai felt fire flare up within his core at the simple, nonchalant touch. he was well aware how many times him and his ninja teammates touched breathlessly before; it was kind of in the job occupation.

but this little gesture made kai’s heart do flips. 

and by the reddened expression now sheepishly visible on jay’s face, it gave kai the peace he needed to break the final straw.

_ Before I lose face.  _

so when the blue ninja spun, turning to the edge to toss the two empty chip bags in the tiny side-bed can, kai was ready; he inhaled. he felt his fingers pinch his leg, just to make sure this was reality, and everything was real . . so that when jay turned back to face him, kai could finally express himself with what he suppressed for so long. 

however, when the younger boy spun around, kai had frozen . . for jay had swiftly managed to press his lips firmly against kai’s first. 

kai knew his whole body had choked up, yet immediately switched to autopilot and returned the loving kiss.

it was sweet; a soft, delicate feeling that tangled kai to the core. the movement was smooth, allowing butterflies to finally break free from within the pit of the red ninja’s stomach—yet the kiss was strong, lingering with desperation and emotion.

leaning forward gingerly in the heat of the moment, kai placed an ungloved hand against the other boy’s clean cheek, delicately holding jay as his own head tilted in the motion. in a daze or not, kai was sure jay returned the favor as best as possible; allowing a hand to absently lay atop kai’s chest to the best ability.

kai felt himself clinging for more when he felt jay shyly pull away after what felt like mere seconds.

or maybe that was just because kai wanted another.

and both boys were absolutely shell-shocked.

_ Surely I can't fall.  _

kai’s lips quivered, feeling empty without the touch he longed for. he could not help but blink, eyes taking over the awkward moment to scan the other boy’s face for some—for any lingering, positive reaction.

a second wave of realization smashed down; jay had kissed kai. 

jay had kissed kai,  _ first _ .

the red ninja watched what appeared to be fear cling into jay’s features, probably going through the same antsy feeling inside over what had just happened; a mixture of confusion for what was to come next, but bubbly pleasure because hot damn. 

they kissed.

their lips . . touched—definitely more than each other’s hands.

they kissed.

if kai was not hyper on his senses, he was sure he would not have heard jay hum—a confused and worried hum, that slowly mingled into the actual words of: “should I not have done that . . ?”

_ Into a game of chase. _

that appeared to be such a classic and predictable reaction from jay . . however once again, the brunet snapped. this time, his movements were no longer laced with anger and an aching annoyance—they were kind, desperate to make jay feel as if he was in heaven.

because kai knew he, himself, was floating on cloud nine when he leaned back and connected their lips for a second time. he felt much more confident while doing so. surely, because jay technically was willing to make the first move, that had to mean romantic feelings were mutual, correct?

kai was able to see the nerves wash off jay’s face, too, at the wordless answer. both boys were oh-so obviously offered the reassurance they needed, and finally let inner emotions take control. his eyes closed.

_ Around his little finger, that boy has got me curled. _

kai’s hand returned to the other boy’s cheek, gently sinking upwards—tangling into the roots of jay’s still damp curls. with his other hand flat against the bed top, kai had practically pinned down the blue ninja. he allowed his own lips break into a warm smile when he felt tugging at his gi neckline. his brain, as delicate as it was feeling in the high moment, registered that jay was pulling them closer, directly into each other’s touch.

as shyly outgoing and nervous jay seemed to be, kai would never expect such a bold move . . but welcomed it immediately.

_ I try to reach out, but he's in his own world. _

eyes gingerly peeking back open, kai was greeted with the features he has been pinning over for . . a long while. jay was—fucking wow, jay was everything. 

the red ninja’s hand tilted, sliding to the back of jay’s head. kai felt himself gently pull up, allowing both boys to inhale. blinking, they stayed close—foreheads leaning lovingly together as time still slowed down. 

the air was thick, hot with their mingled breaths. kai felt as if this was his first time ever where he could truly marvel at jay without someone else noticing—without potentially getting made fun of, or embarrassed . . and definitely without some asshole shoving a camera in their faces.

jay’s mouth lingered open, as if he was going to speak. kai thought for a moment that the situation would be ruined, dialing back down to a pity reality that told him what he had just done was bad—that it would break whatever friendshipped relationship he had built with the lightning elemental master previously. 

but jay only smiled, eyes washing over kai, soaking him in like he was a prize the blue ninja had just won. and kai absolutely smiled back.

_ This boy's got my head tied in knots with all his games. _

the smaller boy was flat on his back against the bed’s blankets. kai noticed, and slowly pulled his leaning arm back—shifting to sit straight up and off of jay. kai swallowed, running a hand sheepishly through his hair, just as jay sat up, as well.

kai bit against his own lip to contain pressing another firm kiss against jay. his eyes lingered around the messy blue room, before flickering back to the other boy. a sillily stupid smile was still plastered on both of their faces.

_ I simply want him more because he looks the other way. _

“you know, I—,” began the red ninja, ready to truly confess and announce the elephant within the room when his voice got caught in his throat at the sudden knock against the door.

“is kai in there?”

oh, for fuck‘s sake—that was . . that was nya’s voice. 

kai did not know whether to answer, pleased that the information she told him earlier helped, or absolutely embarrassed because . . yeah, nya was proven beneficial with relationship advice.

so he was left to choke on his words, staring at the door in awe of what to even say. of course he was inside; there was no one to scold him in here. and although it pained kai for realizing, it truly had been nya’s idea—so her asking about his questionably presences would either be to make fun of him . . or warn him about something.

yet thankfully nya took the elongated moment of silence from within jay’s room as a simple sign to just continue talking.

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

“don’t mean to bother,” nya giggled, “but the shower is open. and I’d go, bro, before cole takes up all the hot water or wu finds you.” she knocked playfully against the door once more, muttering a  _ ‘have fun’ _ , before her footsteps danced into silence, and the two boys concluded she thankfully walked away.

kai immediately spun back around, turning away from the door to look at jay. completely back onto earth, the bubbly feeling still lingering deep within, kai felt the usual confidence spike back—nerves blushing away due to jay’s return of surprised emotions. 

so the red ninja stood up, arms pushing him off the blue covered bed. he felt his hands wave up and down, freezing midair before clapping back at his gi’s side. words jittered against kai’s tongue, worried how he would appear actually saying them out loud.

_ They stare at me while I stare at you.  _

he closed his eyes, and went to shoot his shot. 

“I like you, jay,” blurted out kai, eyes peeling back open to be greeted with the other boy’s assumed matching red face. “like . . like, like. a lot—although I’m sure that's pretty obvious right now.

the raven haired perched up, climbing to sit atop his knees in what appeared to be joy. 

“and I . .” kai trailed off, eyes blinking down at his feet. he cleared his throat. the boy took a step back to allow his hand atop the door’s handle, stuck between continuing and just running to take a shower. “I’d like to—you know, take you out on a—.”

“yes.”

“what?”

“a date sounds great.”

kai’s mouth stood agape; that was much easier than he pegged it to be. the boy could not help but rock back and forth against his heels. he pointed a hand over his shoulder, just as his other hand gently twisted to clumsily unlock and open the door. 

“cool,” he spoke up, still smiling like an idiot. “tomorrow night?”

“after training works,” jay finished, a matching smile still against his own lips. the lightning ninja stood up and scooted forward, pressing a hand against kai’s chest—gently pushing him out the ajar door. he chuckled, and it was anything but anxious this time around. “now, go take a shower, ‘specially if cole wants to go next.”

_ Why can't I keep you safe as my own? _

“right.” kai gave a laugh in return, happy that everything seemed to be going perfectly to his imaginary plan. the red ninja snuck a look down, at jay’s apparently hurt foot; which barely had any pressure on it, as jay had most of his weight leaning towards the other side of his body.

he placed his hands atop jay’s shoulders, easily spinning the other boy around to gently guide him to his bed. once jay was seated on the edge much to his own confusion, the brunet reached for a nearby game controller from the wall’s shelf. he handed it to the freckled boy.

“as long as you sit down and try to . . heal up.”

_ One moment I have you the next you are gone.  _

jay giggled, but complied nonetheless by scooting back in the center of his bed and starting up the wall-TV. kai clasped his hands together, lips curling up at the pretty sight of jay. of course the lightning ninja was probably still shaken up . . he probably was still aching inside, too. hell, kai was himself. but the fire elemental knew very well that emotional condolences or a broken ankle does not heal within minutes.

kai was proud, though—and he was happy now, for it was surely a step within the right direction. 

he finally managed to blink, and walked backwards to the door. “I’ll be back,” hushed kai.

jay answered with a salute, eyes peeling away from the starting up game to twinkle at kai. “c’ya,” echoed the boy. he was smiling still, and the red ninja had to remind himself not to stare for too long once more. 

peeking out the hallway first, kai nodded breathlessly to himself before shuffling out. he gently closed the stickered door behind him as he jogged to the bathroom.

smiling to himself all the while, kai clicked his heels confidently. that just happened: he now has a date with jay.

nya peeled around from the corner, skipping over by his side. she was mysteriously grinning, as she bumped her brother playfully on the side. kai could only assume she was standing outside the door the moment she finished in the shower; her hair was still dripping wet, socks not even on yet. 

“you look happy,” noted the water ninja; there was a certain bubble within her voice that reminded kai of a school girl sharing gossip. “I know something happened. what happened?”

“we—,” kai began, pausing because holy  _ fuck _ that actually happened. “we kissed.”

“oh my go—!”

_ Rehearsed steps on an empty stage.  _

kai immediately held a hand up to his sister’s mouth to hush her, still walking to the bathroom. “shhh,” he said, hoping to cut off her cheers, even when he was just as giddy and euphoric, if not more. “I know. and now we have a date tomorrow.”

“you asked him o—!”

“yes,” finished kai. the pair reached the bathroom, and he leaned against the doorframe with a blunt shrug. “I mean, kinda.”

nya squinted, trying to read past her brother's suspicious words. “bro . . did he ask you out?”

he paused at nya’s sudden giggle, but shrugged off the teasing and stepped inside the bathroom with an elastic nod. 

“if you’re going out tomorrow, you might wanna clear up your case of punching that man today.” nya shuffled back enough so kai could close the door, but her head tilted to the side questionably. “you know, because going in public ain’t gonna be easy if you want peace and quiet.”

“I will,” blurted kai on instinct. “I’ll figure something out.”

nya nodded her head, a smile still displaying a thousand words. kai was sure she was going to tease him later about how right she was—and he was positive the rest of the team would nag as well. but at least he would be able to nudge it off with jay truly by his side. 

_ That boy's got my heart in a silver cage. _

“well, congrats, bro,” encouraged nya, with a cheesy grin. kai could tell her voice was being playfully satire. “proud of you.”

kai answered by offering a sarcastic smile. and bluntly closing the bathroom door.

giggles erupted from the hallway. kai was left standing dumbfounded in the center of the bathroom, waiting for his sister to do something—preferably back off, and settle down enough for him to collect his thoughts and shower.

of course the guys always teased . . but sibling banter would continue to be on a whole other level. 

_ Why can't you want me like the other boys do? _

once he finally gave in and turned on the water, he was able to drown out nya from the other side. the fire ninja sighed, pausing for an extra moment to be sure that everything settled down. silence washed over the room, except for the bath water running to warm up to the boy’s preferred temperature. he thankfully came to the conclusion nya had dashed away—potentially going to whisper with the others about what happened.

kai rolled his shoulders back in peace, however. he stepped in front of the mirror and smiled to himself. his doe brown eyes scanned across his still emotion high body and face—across his lips that jay had touched, and to the now messed up collar of his cherry red gi.

_ They stare at me while I crave you. _

kai felt embarrassed while even rethinking about the past few minutes—or about the whole day, to be honest. truthfully, he had no idea how to convey the public off his back after such a . . dramatically violent action. and kai was sure that the cameraman was already blabbing to the public. the good news, though, was that prime empire was no longer a threatening game. so solving up some annoying man with a cheap camera should not be an issue.

besides, even if the pair could not go out tomorrow night, kai would be absolutely fine with chilling in jay’s room and . . playing video games into the early morning hours; a break was well deserved.

he poked a finger into the shower’s water flow, pleased that it was now warm enough. turning to the hook plastered to the back of the door, he began to tug off his clothing to hang it up. shirt unbuttoned, the bathroom's cool air met his hot skin. 

and when he finally stepped under the shower head, droplets washing down his tanned skin, the boy let out a breath he did not realize he was holding in just before reaching for the body soap.

“god damn, where’d he learn to kiss like that?”

_ I am craving you. _

**Author's Note:**

> as usual, comments n kudos r appreciated xo
> 
> hope y’all r excited for this upcoming cole season tho


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